Editorial: Fighting fire with fire

Friday

Sep 8, 2017 at 11:30 AMSep 8, 2017 at 11:30 AM

While in Congress, Orlando Democrat Alan Grayson, who represented southeastern Marion County for a few years before an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate last year, seemed to live out the old Washington adage that in politics if you want a friend, get a dog.

Grayson is sharp, colorful, commands his facts and, when necessary, a street fighter and unapologetic liberal firebrand. Yet he also can be abrasive and unnecessarily provocative, with an acidic tongue that can deliver haymakers to Republican opponents, and the occasional body shot to Democratic allies.

Self-branded “the congressman with guts,” he had once compared a GOP candidate to the Taliban, likened the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan and labeled a Washington lobbyist a “K Street whore.” Such outlandish claims once prompted a constituent to launch a website playing off Grayson’s catchphrase, called “my congressman is nuts.” Grayson appeared to have worn out his welcome in Washington even among his own kind. During last year’s Democratic Senate primary Harry Reid, then the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, simply tweeted to Grayson: “I want you to lose.”

Grayson has now re-emerged in politics, spearheading an effort to oust President Donald Trump.

Garyson’s vehicle for that is a new crowdfunding website, and never one for subtlety, he has registered it as www.lockhimupnow.org.

Thus, we have the classic case of fighting fire with fire.

On his website, Grayson offers a daily dose of what he sees as the president’s misdeeds. He also encourages visitors to submit their own evidence of Trump’s misbehavior, to boycott Trump’s businesses, to urge lawmakers to oppose his policies, orders and appointments, to circulate on social media what Grayson uncovers and to vote for anti-Trump candidates, “even for dog catcher.”

“We want Donald Trump indicted, or we want him impeached and convicted, or we want to force him to resign,” Grayson says in an email.

“This is not an organization for people who have mixed feelings about Donald Trump, or who worry about whether VP Pence would be better or worse, or are willing to let Senate Republicans ‘investigate’ Trump and leave it at that. No. This is an organization for people who have decided that TRUMP MUST GO — and are ready to take action to make that happen.”

We don’t agree with Grayson’s aims. Trump was duly elected, first by Republican voters in a 17-candidate primary and then by the voters in 30 states — even after the media exposed all it could about his history, his gaffes, his behavior, his business dealings and his proposed policies.

The various investigations now ongoing should determine whether or not there is clear and convincing evidence of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” as the Constitution calls for, and if none is found Trump should remain in office.

That said, Grayson seems to be pursuing this in a correct manner. Gathering evidence, and wanting to work through the legal process. No rabble-rousing or calls for violence against the president or his supporters. No reliance on half-baked, or still completely raw, conspiracy theories. Adjudicate this in court, or sap Trump’s support at the ballot box.

If Grayson gets traction, it will likely be because he understands Trump better than most. His tactics, style and demeanor mirror those of the president. Trump has the job, yet Grayson, citing public opinion polls that show Trump’s unpopularity, believes he has read the will of the public. This should be interesting to watch — whether either one can avoid being his own worst enemy.

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